Me. Beer kit + more.

[rodwha]

Waiting is hard if you don't have beer stashed in the back!

I recently had finished all of mine so these next 3 batches will have me capable of waiting well enough again! In the meantime I've just had to send SWMBO to the store for beer!

 

[mjwj12]

Waiting is hard if you don't have beer stashed in the back!

I recently had finished all of mine so these next 3 batches will have me capable of waiting well enough again! In the meantime I've just had to send SWMBO to the store for beer!

I'm guessing swmbo means... Something to do with your wife lol?
Honestly I've been over beer. I'm more of a 'on the rocks' kind of guy. But this making my own beer is really exciting. Maybe when these beers are done and it'll be a lil surprise to me and my wife. A diamond I'm the rough.

 

[mjwj12]

What's the key ingredient to make the beer more alcoholic?

 

[rodwha]

She Who Must Be Obeyed

Funny 'cause I don't listen much to her.

I'll take whiskey and water, but since I got into craft beers I just don't drink liquor/cocktails or wine much anymore. LOVE the beer!

Alcohol is created from sugars. Barley, when mashed converts starches into sugars, but sugar or honey or molasses can be used too, but they are more simple sugars and thin beer out. A little is OK, but too much and it's weird.

 

[mjwj12]

She Who Must Be Obeyed

Funny 'cause I don't listen much to her.

I'll take whiskey and water, but since I got into craft beers I just don't drink liquor/cocktails or wine much anymore. LOVE the beer!

Alcohol is created from sugars. Barley, when mashed converts starches into sugars, but sugar or honey or molasses can be used too, but they are more simple sugars and thin beer out. A little is OK, but too much and it's weird.

Well my wife recently bought me sippin rocks. Look it up. Stones that you freeze. And doesn't water down the liquor. Yummmm.

On another note. So if I do some testing and add a lil more sugar/honey/molasses to my keg for fermentation it could turn out Better or worse.

 

[rodwha]

If it's a small amount it should just bump up the alcohol content a little and drop the IBU's slightly. You could even just add a small amount of table sugar.

I've seen those plastic balls you freeze.

 

[mjwj12]

If it's a small amount it should just bump up the alcohol content a little and drop the IBU's slightly. You could even just add a small amount of table sugar.

I've seen those plastic balls you freeze.

naw granite.

Here is a question. My mr beer kit doesn't tell me to put the sugar/carbonation rocks in till I bottle it. Am I correct here? I sure hope so

 

[rodwha]

Your kit came with carbonation drops? Look like little candies? If so it'll mention the number each bottle needs. Some are small and need several and some are about the size of sore throat medicine and need just 1. But yes, add at bottling.

I've not seen those. Cool!

 

[mjwj12]

Your kit came with carbonation drops? Look like little candies? If so it'll mention the number each bottle needs. Some are small and need several and some are about the size of sore throat medicine and need just 1. But yes, add at bottling.

I've not seen those. Cool!

Ok great. Yes those the ones.
Would it be bad to add sugar now? After 2 days of fermenting? Then add those "candies" when I bottle it?

 

[rodwha]

You can do that. I'd wait maybe a couple more days as it'll allow the yeast to work on the more complex sugars. Simple sugars weaken the yeast in some way (basically). It does something with the way the develop their "skin" and so it'd be better to allow them to do their thing on the more complex ones now. Maybe give it a week total.

 

[mjwj12]

You can do that. I'd wait maybe a couple more days as it'll allow the yeast to work on the more complex sugars. Simple sugars weaken the yeast in some way (basically). It does something with the way the develop their "skin" and so it'd be better to allow them to do their thing on the more complex ones now. Maybe give it a week total.

You are just full of info my friend! Can you give me a est. of how much to add after the first week. So that I don't add too much...or to less. And what kind of sugar? And just throw it on top?

 

[rodwha]

What are your intentions? How much alcohol are you looking for overall?

I've been helping far too many people lately and so I've lost track of who's making what. Can you run by me your kit again?

 

[mjwj12]

What are your intentions? How much alcohol are you looking for overall?

I've been helping far too many people lately and so I've lost track of who's making what. Can you run by me your kit again?

Haha ok. My intentions are simple, make a good beer that has a good alcohol content. I have the basic mr beer kit with the American light malt and yeast.

I've got a big ingredient kit that has a lot of other stuff stated in the op. I picked up and food grade bucket today and ordered a airlock and spigot online and I'm waiting on that so I can start my Oktoberfest kit.

 

[rodwha]

And you are wanting to improve your Mr Beer kit correct? Still waiting to do the other one afterwards?

Does the Mr Beer kit come with a bag of booster or just cans of HME an UME?

Did you buy anything extra to doctor up the Mr Beer kit?

You mentioned American Light. Not their West Coast Pale Ale? Does it say what the alcohol content should be?

 

[rodwha]

This one:

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/1008/nm/Classic_American_Light_Standard_Refill1

It says 3.7% ABV. I can see why you'd want to doctor it up!

Do you have access to a local homebrew store (LHBS)?

 

[mjwj12]

This one:

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/1008/nm/Classic_American_Light_Standard_Refill1

It says 3.7% ABV. I can see why you'd want to doctor it up!

Do you have access to a local homebrew store (LHBS)?

Yes this one. Im not sure if I have one here. I could look it up. But do I need to go to one?

 

[rodwha]

I prefer my beers to have something north of 4.7%, with 5.5% or more being the norm here.

I also prefer some hoppiness. It is only 11 IBU's which is weak. This is something like a light American beer.

It would take quite a bit of sugar to get the alcohol closer to 5%, and that would also decrease your IBU's.

Were I you I'd buy some extract and hops to work this up, which is what I've done when I've had one of these. I've done 5 now.

 

[rodwha]

It's always good to have a local place for the little things you suddenly need or forgot.

Mine got all of my business until I tried ordering my stuff and got stuck hard. Now I just buy my grains there since I can buy exact amounts.

Let me work up an approximate recipe for what they have so i can better figure out what you'll need. But I also need to know what you want out of it. Do know that you have this as a base to start with, and it'll be hard to really add bitterness without doing a full boil of your additions as it takes 45+ mins to add bitterness. Though hops add IBU's it's not really bitter before 30 mins or so.

 

[rodwha]

I used 1.85 lbs of extra light LME, 0.225 oz Liberty (4%) @ 60 mins, 0.1 oz Liberty at 15 mins, and US-05 to replicate their numbers. I can only guess what they actually did, but it gets us in the ballpark I suppose.

Now what do you want from it? It's going to be like drinking a light American beer as is.

 

[ericbw]

Yes this one. Im not sure if I have one here. I could look it up. But do I need to go to one?

I wouldn't add sugar now. The more you open it the more chance of problems.

You can decrease the water to increase alcohol.

 

[rodwha]

You do not need to go to one, but you won't pay shipping fees for a small order unless you intend on ordering other things too.

 

[mjwj12]

I used 1.85 lbs of extra light LME, 0.225 oz Liberty (4%) @ 60 mins, 0.1 oz Liberty at 15 mins, and US-05 to replicate their numbers. I can only guess what they actually did, but it gets us in the ballpark I suppose.

Now what do you want from it? It's going to be like drinking a light American beer as is.

with the basic kit that i got from mr. beer i just want to leave it at that, maybe add a lil more sugar for more alcohol.

In the pic is what my wife bought me a while ago from that local shop. Now when i do my next batch with this kit and my bucket im am stepping into the dark of where to start. I dont want to screw it up and waste all of these ingredients. So that is really what im hoping to get insight about.

 

[rodwha]

Do you have honey? It would go much better!

 

[rodwha]

1/2 lb of honey added after a week would bring it up to about 4.8% and drop the IBU's to 10. Not too bad. But it would also have a very nice honey taste. It'll thin it out a little, but it may not be too bad.

 

[rodwha]

1/2 lb of brown sugar might be interesting. But maybe it'd be a little odd. It would bring the ABV up to 4.9% and the IBU's to about 10.

 

[mjwj12]

1/2 lb of honey added after a week would bring it up to about 4.8% and drop the IBU's to 10. Not too bad. But it would also have a very nice honey taste. It'll thin it out a little, but it may not be too bad.

1/2 pound of honey to my mr beer brew that I have going now? How do you measure a half pound of honey lol

 

[rodwha]

1/2 lb of table sugar would also give you 4.9% and 10 IBU's.

 

[mjwj12]

1/2 lb of table sugar would also give you 4.9% and 10 IBU's.

Table sugar seems a lot easier. Did you see that pic?

 

[rodwha]

Do you have a kitchen scale?

I warm it up and pour it into the fermentor/pot and check the weight.

I'll see if I can figure out what the volume of 1/2 lb is.

 

[rodwha]

0.67 cups according to Northern Brewer's priming sugar calculator.